Craftsmen Specialty Coffee has been a favourite choice for the east, with its flagship outlet at Siglap. We were thrilled to hear they have expanded to Novena, making it probably the second cool cafe in the neighbourhood, apart from The Clueless Goat.

Interior & Ambience

The cafe has retained much of its style and character in the design. The familiar pipe lamps and metal and wood structured furniture as well as the concrete floor made up its industrial look.

In terms of its layout, I still prefer the Siglap branch as its neater and more pleasant to the eyes.

Food

I had good memories of its Butter Croissant and I wanted to try it again. It came with several options like salmon, cheese or scrambled eggs, which was the one I chose.

The croissant was as fragrant, fluffy and deliciously buttery. Scrambled eggs were soft but it would have been better if it came with more seasoning.

In Short

I always have a good experience of Craftsmen, and this outlet at Novena gives the extra touch of a quieter ambience. It would definitely make a good choice for brunch in the area.

OZ Specialty Coffee went through a stage of rebranding and moving, and has evolved into a white dreamy boutique cafe, Pacamara. Relocated to a more prominent area of Upper Thomson, famed for its delicious collection of local food stores as well as modern dining places, Pacamara now enjoys higher visibility and is one of the trending coffee places these days.

Interior & Ambience

There is an increasing number of cafes which are after the white and clean concept, and this worked very well for Pacamara. The view from the exterior is impressive, pristine and dreamy. The experience is no different once you step into the cafe, everything seems so coordinated and pleasant.

The space is open, which could also mean lack of privacy as your conversations will bounce off to the neighbouring strangers. However, the ambience is casual and allows one to be at ease.

I especially love the window seat, perfect for crowd gazing.

Food & Drinks

The coffee was good, flavourful and balanced.

Truffle Fr ies

It was a lazy midday, so we went for Truffle Fries, which I have heard was good. I believe my hunt for great Truffle Fries should just end here, none has been rewarding, including this one here. The truffle taste is slight, but the fries was crispy and addictive.

In Short

Pacamara is worth a visit, especially if you are a coffee lover. I would say this would make a nice cafe for dates.

Assembly Coffee has been around for over a year and has built itself a loyal crowd, despite located in a relatively secluded area. In the quaint area next to CCAB and Botanic Gardens, Assembly serves up great coffee and teatime eats like croissants and sandwiches. They are also famous for their waffles.

Interior & Ambience

They did a great job integrating the dry riser inlet into its exterior design, which is extremely photogenic in any angle. The place is surprisingly small and cramped, and can hold up to only around 10 groups of people each time. Despite that, patrons are willing to wait for their turns.

They had definitely spent some thoughts and efforts converting this small space into a conducive environment for meals, but I wouldn’t suggest this as a place to stay for long. If you meet with their hectic hours, you would feel the hustle and bustle of the Assembly at maximal.

Coffee

The Magic Tulip was lovely, just the way I liked it. The blend was balanced and aromatic. It’s pretty easy to find good coffee nowadays, glad that the cafe scene in Singapore had evolved so rapidly.